Bicycle Rodeo and helmet giveaway promotes safety

When it comes to keeping children safe on their bikes, a number of local law-enforcement agencies and businesses are teaming up for Bicycle Rodeo 2019 in Millersburg.

Rodeos have been associated with bucking broncos, raging bulls, and boots and spurs for quite some time.

This summer there is going to be a rodeo in Millersburg that has nothing to do with those things and far more to do with creating a safer environment for bicyclists.

Bicycle Rodeo 2019 will take place in Millersburg in the parking lot of Sherwin Williams and Subway on South Clay Street on Saturday, June 15 with the focus on promoting bicycle safety to the community. The event is designed not only for bicyclists, but also for vehicle owners who share the roadways with two-wheelers. However, in preparing for the event, the participating organizations are seeking to partner with any businesses or organizations that might add to the activities that will be presented.

Event coordinators are currently seeking partners to attend and display booths focused on health and safety education. In addition they are seeking donors who are willing to supply gift baskets and door prizes.

The event is being promoted in collaboration with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Holmes County Sheriff Office, Holmes County Fire District 1, Millersburg Police Department and Holmes County Safe Communities.

The organizations have united to promote safety, and part of that promotion will be to pass out free bicycle helmets to the first 100 visitors who would like one.

“The premise is to learn about and promote bicycle safety,” Lt. Stephanie Norman of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said. “It is for both those who are operating bicycles on our roadways and for those who are driving who deal with bicycles on an everyday basis.”

Norman said one of the focal points of the day will be on teaching those utilizing bicycles all of the proper procedures and safety rules, from hand signals and making sure they are visible to drivers to knowing what their responsibilities are on the roadways.

“There are going to be a lot of booths there with all kinds of safety information,” Norman said. “In today’s world you just can’t hop on a bicycle and hit the road. It is crucial to know the laws, know the rules of riding and for our drivers to be aware of bicyclists on the road. With motorized bikes now becoming more and more popular, we are seeing changes in the way bicycles are being used in our area.”

Electric bicycles, known as e-bikes, make travel much easier for riders to navigate the hilly terrain, but they also allow riders to go much faster, meaning vehicles’ operators must adjust and recognize the bicyclist is traveling at a much quicker pace. That can make passing a bicycle much more dangerous.

“It is difficult for drivers to recognize whether or not a biker is riding an e-bike, so it can make for some dangerous situations where passing someone on a bicycle and getting back into their lane of travel might not be as quick as they might think,” Norman said. “The more we can share all of the different aspects of biking in our area, the safer we can make it for everyone.”

Norman said each of the entities involved is hoping they can make this an annual event because it is important, especially in Amish Country, where bicycles are so popular. She said making these types of events available to the public can be a life-saving effort or at least prevent accidents and limit injuries.

“We have so many people among our Amish community who utilize bicycles every day, but because this is such a beautiful area, we have many people who visit and enjoy biking to experience the beauty of our area,” Norman said.

The event is free to the public. For more information or to donate, call Pam at Subway at 330-401-5121 or email jacden.17794@gmail.com or call John at Sherwin Williams at 330-674-1133.